The Rise of Set
by Blizzarian Babe
Summary: A story of a young girl, Kiya who finds herself in Heliopolis helping Sphinx to vanquish the god of Chaos. Also find out how Lily and Kiya are connected in the race to save three worlds from darkness!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I don't own anything apart from the plot and my OC's (Kiya, Nefer, Tal and Aten)

**Disclaimer**- I don't own anything apart from the plot and my OC's (Kiya, Nefer, Tal and Aten)

**Notes-** I just started playing through this game again and the plot bunny just had to give me an idea so here it is!

**The Rise of Set**

Chapter 1

Nefer smiled as he looked at the group of children waiting for him in the courtyard of the royal palace at Thebes. The children never failed to brighten his day; they made it worthwhile to drag his tired old bones to the sunny spot by the fountain everyday. His faithful tame jackal, Aten licked his master's hand and bounded ahead to where the oldest child was setting out a plate of food for the old storyteller.

Aten jumped up at her, yipping excitedly, nose twitching as he smelled the plate she held above her head, "Aten get down!" Kiya laughed; her sloe black eyes, made darker by the application of kohl twinkled with laughter, "I got you the bones from the Pharaoh's dinner."

Aten obediently sat by Nefer's chair, tail twitching impatiently.

Nefer smiled as he eased himself into the decorative chair, Kiya was his favourite, she was hardly a child any longer; sixteen and showing signs of the great beauty she would become. She was half sister to the prince regent and unlike the other older royal children she was not interested in court intrigues, she just wanted to learn all she could about the history of their great country and she loved to hear about the exploits of the gods and of heroes.

"Nefer, what story are you going to tell us today?" asked one of the youngest children, a boy named Mentumehni stroked Aten's glossy black fur before popping his thumb in his mouth.

"Oh please tell us one about the adventures of Sphinx!" Kiya begged

"Kiya, you're such a baby, those are only fairy tales." Tal, a fair-skinned boy of Kiya's age pulled one of her gold-tipped braids, "Shouldn't you be playing with dolls?"

Kiya scowled and yanked her head away, "I don't care; they're good stories!" she balled up one fist, ready to defend Nefer's stories if she had to.

Nefer frowned, he had been planning on telling the story of Sphinx today anyway, what with next week heralding the festival of gateways and guardians, but the boy, Tal worried him. He was a Hittite prince sent to Thebes as a gesture of goodwill between the two countries.

Tal was tall, taller than other boys his age and he had the pale skin of those not from the desert, there was something in those pale blue eyes Nefer simply didn't trust.

Kiya felt the same; normally the most easy going of people something about Tal just rubbed her up the wrong way.

"Now, now don't fight," Nefer set aside his plate and the ever opportunistic Aten licked it clean, "today I shall tell you all about how Sphinx became the hero of two worlds."

Kiya sat back, lost in the magic of Nefer's story-telling. she could see the scenes he was describing and almost hear the sounds of the battle between Sphinx, his human ally from Thebes and the evil god of chaos, Set.

"I wish I could have an adventure like that," she breathed, resting her head on her cupped hands.

Tal snorted at Kiya's sentiment; the old man was well past his useful days and should have retired years ago instead of filling children's heads with nonsense.

"And with a mighty blow from the blade of Osiris Sphinx cut off the dark god's sword arm and Set, realising the battle was lost fled back to the underworld and our world was saved from the everlasting night." Nefer smiled as he finished his story; he knew it was Kiya's favourite and one day soon he'd tell her the truth behind the fable. "Now then little ones, it's time for your lessons." he shooed them away as the nurse arrived to take them to their tutor.

Kiya gathered up Nefer's empty plate, obviously waiting 'til the others had gone. Tal left reluctantly, staring over his shoulder at Kiya as he left.

"Nefer, is that story really true?" Kiya looked up at him with worry in her eyes, Tal's barb had hit home.

Nefer sighed; it seemed like the time to tell all had come sooner than he'd wanted, "Come with me child, I have something to show you." He stiffly got to his feet and supporting himself on his staff hobbled back to his small apartments followed by Aten and Kiya.

Nefer sat down on his bed and absently stroked Aten's head as the jackal jumped up beside him, tongue lolling out of one side of his mouth.

"Now then Kiya I have something to say, Tal is wrong, the gods I tell you about are real. Years ago I was a young priest in training when I met a man in the street; he was hurt, badly, and I stopped to help him. He told me a fantastic story; one about the battle between light and darkness, of heroes and villains and humans and immortals." He paused and studied Kiya for a moment before continuing, "He was the man from the Sphinx stories his name was Amun and he gave me something and made me promise to make sure his story was never forgotten."

Kiya looked up from her seat on the floor in fascination, "What did he give you Nefer? Was it a sword?" she grinned and waved an imaginary sword at Aten who barked happily at Kiya and rolled over onto his back for her to scratch his belly.

"I'll show you if you promise to keep it a secret. Fetch the box from the desk Kiya." Nefer pointed out an ornate golden box decorated with ankhs half-hidden behind a writing set.

Kiya walked over to the desk and examined the box curiously; it was made of wood covered in gold leaf, but it was heavy, _"Maybe there's gold or jewels inside!" _thought Kiya excited by the possibility of treasure.

She carried it carefully back to Nefer who ran his gnarled hands over the lid before opening the box and gently extracted the contents. It was... disappointing, Kiya had been expecting something impressive or beautiful, the object in Nefer's hands was neither.

It was an amulet made of brown and grey stone; it depicted a baboon holding a palm leaf and a pair of crescent horns on the top of the handle held a polished bronze mirror, the baboon had tiny chips of emerald for eyes and Kiya felt uneasy; it seemed to be watching her somehow.

Confused she looked up at her old friend, "Nefer, what is it?" she reached out and gingerly touched the stone; it felt warm to the touch, like it had been lying in the sun.

Nefer smiled, "It doesn't look like much does it?"

"Well, I was hoping for a sword or something exciting." Kiya blushed as she admitted her disappointment.

"Ah, I thought as much," Nefer patted her hand, "I thought exactly the same thing when Amun gave it to me. Now here is the secret, promise you won't breathe a word to anyone?"

Kiya placed a hand over her heart, making the beads on her necklace jingle, "I swear!"

"This amulet is a key,"

"A key? To what?" Kiya interrupted "Treasure?"

Nefer laughed, "No such luck I'm afraid. It is a key to another world, to the world where the gods live. Sphinx found Amun in a place called Uruk, Uruk is a bad place Kiya, it's the place where Set had his stronghold before he was banished to the underworld. Amun told me that the statue in the Inner Sanctum of the temple where I was training was in fact a facet of the God of gateways and portals and that one day when Set rose again a new hero of Thebes would be able to use the amulet to find their way to Heliopolis and fight against the Dark Lord once more."

"Wow," Kiya touched the amulet once more before Nefer tucked it back in its hiding place. "I knew Tal was wrong! A story that good just has to be true!" she brushed her shoulder-length black hair back from her face, "Did you ever try to get to the Otherworld?" she asked.

Nefer shook his head sadly, "Yes I did, but the portal god did not accept my offering, it was not meant to be, so I returned to the temple master and asked if I could leave to become a story-teller. At first he was reluctant but after I had told him Amun's story and showed him the amulet he arranged for me to become story-teller to the Royal Children."

"What happened to Amun?" Kiya asked.

"No one knows, after I went to see the temple master he disappeared and he was never seen in Thebes again."

Nefer's head began to nod and he began to snore, Aten yawned, intent on following his master's example, Kiya dropped a kiss on Nefer's wrinkled forehead before slipping away, her thoughts filled with adventures, treasure, daring deeds and a strapping young demi-god.

AN: Well here is chapter 1, I'm not really expecting much from y'all, this is just a way of getting the plot bunny to leave me alone! But any reviews would be appreciated none the less.

Hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I don't own anything apart from the plot and my OC's (Kiya, Nefer, Tal and Aten). Wish I owned my very own fuzzy Sphinx though... :D

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Chapter Two

Sphinx was having the time of his life; the young demi-god swung his sword, the fabled blade of Osiris, at the green cobra that reared up and hissed at him, the muscles in his arms glistened from his exertions and he felt alive.

Ever since the banishment of Set some fifty human years previously he had felt restless somehow, almost as though his life were lacking something.

The snake struck again and he nimbly vaulted out of the way, leaving the cobra to snap harmlessly at empty air. _"It was my own fault,"_ he mused as he spun the confrontation out a little longer by flicking his leonine tail at the snake's head, _"after all, scarabs aren't the only things that fall out of trees." _

Out of the corner of his eye he saw his old tutor, the baboon-headed Imhotep appear on top of the tree the snake had dropped out of.

Sphinx sighed, Imhotep probably had another mission for him; the only problem was that since Set had been banished all he ever seemed to do was hunt down bandits and wild animals, hardly a fitting pastime for the hero of Heliopolis.

He struck the snake over the head with the flat of his sword, stunning it long enough for him to wander back over to Imhotep.

As Sphinx drew closer Imhotep floated down from his treetop perch.

His baboon-headed mentor launched into a tense speech the moment his sandalled feet touched the floor, "Sphinx, my young pupil I have grave news."

Sphinx's tail twitched in anticipation; he knew it had to be something big for Imhotep to ignore the ceremonial niceties of conversation and etiquette that he was normally such a stickler for.

Imhotep looked at his apprentice gravely, "It appears that Set's dark half has taken over once again and he is recruiting an army as we speak. I feel the work of a dark magician is the cause of it all." Imhotep frowned at Sphinx, "I'm afraid that Set will be more powerful than before; I can sense that he is receiving aid from another Egypt from another world. He is weak now but will soon be a formidable foe. I fear that we will have to summon help from the Hero of Thebes once again."

Sphinx grinned, canine teeth gleaming as he relished the thought of finally using his skills for something worthwhile again.

Imhotep sighed but smiled nonetheless, Sphinx was definitely an uncomplicated personality.

"Sphinx meet me on Sun shrine Island tomorrow, Bas-Ket and I will be waiting."

Sphinx nodded and watched his master's form fade from sight.

_"All right,"_ Sphinx thought, _"finally a chance to do something worthwhile." _He loped past the still confused serpent and headed up the hill toward the road leading to Heliopolis.

"Nefer! Nefer where are you!?"

Nefer looked up from his scrolls, Aten leapt to his feet and whined anxiously as the door to his rooms crashed open and a distraught Kiya ran in.

"Whatever is the matter child?" Nefer gathered Kiya into a comforting hug; he stroked her hair gently until the worst of her sobs subsided. When her tears became sniffles she leaned back and looked up at her favourite story-teller.

Nefer was shocked; he'd never seen Kiya so upset, not even when her mother passed on to the Western Lands had she looked so pale.

Kiya gulped back a fresh wave of tears, "I-it's awful! Pharaoh says-"

Aten pricked his ears forward and began to growl as footsteps approached Nefer's rooms.

Kiya clutched at more tightly at Nefer's shawl, "He- he followed me!"

Nefer stroked Kiya's hair reassuringly as he reached for his stout staff with his free hand.

She looked up at him, brown eyes wet with tears and haunted by fear. Kohl was streaked down her face and suddenly to Nefer she looked so young and vulnerable.

"Please don't go out there Nefer." Kiya latched onto Nefer's sleeve like a baby monkey and clung tightly, pleading with him to stay inside his quarters.

Aten laid his ears back flat and growled low in his throat. The jackal lowered his head and snarled as footsteps approached his master's door.

Kiya gasped and shrank back against Nefer

The footsteps paused outside Nefer's door, then kept walking down the corridor and faded from hearing.

Nefer eased Kiya into a more comfortable position, "Now then child, what brought all this on? What has happened?"

Kiya took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at the brown wrinkled face that was as dear to her as her own father's, "P-pharaoh told me that I'm to marry!" Kiya blurted out.

Nefer smiled indulgently, "Well Kiya you are of the right age-"

"But I don't want to marry Tal! Pharaoh says it's to seal," she paused, frowning as she tried to remember Pharaoh's exact words, "dipl-diplomatic and economic alliances. I have to go and live with Tal's people, I don't want to! I don't want to leave you!" Kiya threw her arms around Aten's neck and sobbed into his silky black fur.

Nefer sat in silence as he tried to make sense of what Kiya had told him; he'd thought that Pharaoh would have picked one of the Royal Artisans for Kiya. Tal was a prince after all, to offer him anything less than one of Pharaoh's daughters would be the gravest insult!

Nefer stroked his chin thoughtfully, Kiya was a delicate desert rose and by all accounts those barbarians from the north were a rough and well barbaric people.

"Wait here child, I'll talk to Pharaoh; there must be some mistake." Nefer got to his feet and hobbled to the door, "Aten, you stay here and look after Kiya."

Aten barked and curled up by the young girl's feet, ready and willing to spring into action at a moment's notice.

000

Nefer stood stiffly before Pharaoh as he put forward his case against Kiya's arranged marriage, "Great One, surely you must realise that Kiya would not be suitable for a foreign prince? She is too sheltered to survive outside of the Palace; let alone in the Northern Kingdoms."

Pharaoh looked down sternly at the elderly scribe from his seat on the golden throne of the Two Kingdoms, "Nefer I am truly sorry that you feel this way; however my mind is set on this course, it has been written that the match will take place; it is the will of the Gods, nothing can be done to change it now."

Nefer bowed his head sadly and hobbled from the audience chamber.

000

When Nefer returned Kiya was stretched out on his bed, fast asleep with a watchful Aten lying at her feet.

The elderly scribe held a finger to his lips when Aten began to whine. Nefer eased himself into his favourite chair, "Well Aten I did my best; Pharaoh won't bend on this one. I'm afraid Kiya has no choice but to marry that upstart princeling." Nefer bowed his head and began to nod off. On the bed Kiya stared at the wall with horror, Nefer had failed

"Well I won't marry Tal, no matter what! I'll run away to the temple of Isis or..." Kiya slowly sat up once she was sure Nefer was fast asleep, she looked across to the chest which contained the portal amulet. She silently crept across the room and lifted the lid of the chest; the amulet lay there, watching her. Kiya carefully picked it up and cradled it to her chest.

Kiya froze as Aten twitched in his sleep, the jackal moaned quietly as in his dreams he chased fleet-footed jackrabbits through the desert.

She went to step over Aten but paused when she heard the deep voices of two of the palace guards muttering just outside the door. Kiya crept closer and strained to hear what they were saying.

"Why do we have to watch the old story-tellers house?" the younger voice complained

"I don't know, but if you want to keep on breathing don't cross the Pharaoh. All I know is that no one is to go in or out of this place."

Kiya's eyes widened, the Pharaoh had put them under house arrest! She looked at the water clock on Nefer's desk, nearly midnight. She stepped back over Aten and pulled herself up and through the small window.

As she landed she knocked over a pot which smashed loudly on the cobbles. Kiya ran as she heard the shouts of the guards calling for backup.

She fled through the dark streets of Thebes, heading for the temple that Nefer had told her about; praying that it hadn't just been a story and that after all this time the amulet still worked.

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AN: Well here is chapter two... sorry about the wait but I've made a resolution that any upload has to be at least four pages long to make it worthwhile!

As always reviews are very welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I don't own anything apart from the plot and my OC's (Kiya, Nefer, Tal, Aten and now Lily and co.). Wish I owned my very own fuzzy Sphinx though... :D

AN: This chapter goes out to Escorregadia for her awesome-sauce review

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Chapter 3

With a start Lily opened her eyes; heart pounding as though it had been her running through the ancient city of Thebes. The dream had seemed so real, like she had been Kiya. Lily lay back and stared up at the mosquito netting draping her bed like an exotic canopy, "I am Lily Fortescue and I am at Uncle Henry's house in England...I am not some girl running for her life in Thebes." that said Lily sat up and cringed as her bare feet touched the cold flagstone floor of her room in her uncle's castle deep in the Scottish countryside.

It was odd, the dream had felt almost as though she had been remembering something, everything had been so vivid, she had been able to smell the smells of the city and Lily swore that she could still feel Aten's silky fur beneath her fingers.

Lily looked at the clock on her bedside table, 5.30AM, too late to go back to sleep, too early for any civilised person to awake. She sighed and reached for her tatty terrycloth robe and bunny slippers.

"Lily! Lily are you up yet?" A high childish voice sang out from the other side of the bedroom door, Lily groaned; Annabel was her five year old cousin who seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of energy and always knew the exact moment Lily woke up; it was uncanny.

Lily got out of her four-poster bed and stretched, relishing the slight cracking of her back; no matter how many times she visited her Uncle she still couldn't get used to how hard the beds were.

"Lily I can hear you moving! I know you're awake!" the doorknob twisted and Lily sighed, Annabel had the ability to make her feel older than her seventeen years.

Lily quickly plaited her waist-length dark honey coloured hair, turned the key in the lock and braced herself.

The bedroom door was flung open and a small pink whirlwind raced in, almost knocking Lily off her feet as little Annabel clung to her favourite cousin's knees.

Lily smiled and carefully extricated herself from her tenacious baby cousin's grip; today Annabel was dressed entirely in pink; from her tiny T-bar shoes to the ribbons holding her carrot coloured hair in check, Lily didn't have the heart to tell her that pink really didn't go with her orange hair.

"I dressded myself!" Annabel announced, happily clambering onto Lily's bed.

Lily arched one eyebrow, "So it would seem..." she tapped one of Annabel's shoes, "the buckles go on the outside of the shoe Bel, you've got them on the wrong feet."

Annabel frowned down at her feet as though simply glaring would cause the shoes to miraculously swap over.

Lily laughed as she sat in front of the mirror, combing the knots out of her hair and attempting to enforce some sort of order on her unruly waves. She looked up into the mirror, she gasped and the hairbrush slipped from her suddenly nerveless fingers and clattered to the floor.

She leaned forward... it hadn't been a trick of the early morning light; her eyes were a deep chocolate brown instead of the more familiar clear green she had had all her life.

Lily looked away and quickly glanced back into the silver surface of the mirror...her eyes were green again. Had she just imagined it? Lily shivered, not so sure now that the dream had just been a dream.

"I'm hungry." Annabel's voice broke through Lily's reverie, making her jump.

"Alright Bel, let me get dressed then I'll cook us something nice. How do pancakes sound to you?" Lily quickly pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a thick red sweater.

"Yay! I love pancakes!" Annabel jumped off the large four-poster bed and grabbed hold of Lily's hand tugging the teen in the direction of the kitchen.

000

Uncle Henry was a heavyset man in his late forties with a shock of thick red hair much like his daughter's. Henry was examining a small wooden box which had been sent to him from Lily's parents, the crate it had arrived in was postmarked 'Cairo, Egypt.' Lily's parents were archaeologists who spent their summers digging in exotic locations all over the world leaving him to look after their only child.

He didn't mind, he loved Lily like she was his own daughter but he wished his brother would show a little more parental spirit; Lily tried to hide it but Henry knew every forgotten birthday hurt her terribly. He brushed away some of the straw used to cushion the box's contents and pulled out a letter written in his brother's spidery handwriting.

_"Dear Hank,_

_Thanks for looking after the sprog for us; the missus and I just couldn't pass up this chance to dig on the site of ancient Thebes! Anyway we've found a veritable treasure trove of goodies from the Old Kingdom and here's a little something for Lily, oh yes here's a strange amulet we found; I was hoping you could have a look at it for me..."_

Henry rooted around in the straw and pulled out a beautiful lapis lazuli and carnelian necklace; in the centre was a golden plaque with hieroglyphs engraved onto its surface. In the space underneath the necklace lay an odd-looking statuette. It was of a baboon carved from greenish alabaster, the ape had one tiny ruby chip eye and resting on its head was a large crescent. Henry emptied out the straw to see if there was anything else lurking in the box; there wasn't. he turned his attention back to the letter.

"_There have been some dashed odd fellows sniffing around the dig asking all sorts of questions about portals and sphinxes. Load of superstitious codswallop in my opinion but to err on the side of caution I've decided to send these beauties back home to you; after all who is going to follow them all the way home to bonny Scotland?_

_As always kiss the sprog from us_

_Your brother,_

_Hunt."_

Henry smiled ruefully; his brother and sister-in-law would never change. He picked up the necklace and went in search of his daughter and niece.

He headed straight for the kitchen, he could smell pancakes cooking and his stomach rumbled reminding him that it was now approaching seven; time for breakfast!

000

Lily bopped along to one of Annabel's favourite radio shows as she flipped pancakes and flipped them onto a plate. Behind her Annabel sang along in between mouthfuls of her syrup covered pancake breakfast.

"Good morning girls." Henry strolled into the kitchen and kissed Annabel on the top of her head and playfully pulled her pigtails; she squealed and hugged her father with sticky hands.

"Hello Uncle Henry, I've made you some pancakes and there's a pot of tea brewing." Lily smiled; she truly loved her uncle who was more like a father to her than her real father!

"Happy birthday love," Henry hugged his niece, "here's a little something from your parents, they're in Egypt for the rest of the summer now." He fastened the necklace around Lily's neck, "Go on, have a look. I need to examine an amulet Hunt sent me so I'll have my breakfast to go. If you need me I'll be in my office." He picked up his plate and a mug of tea, "Can I count on you two to help me in the cellar museum later on?"

Lily nodded and followed her uncle out of the kitchen trailed by Annabel who had abandoned breakfast in favour of trying out some sparkly jewellery.

As soon as her uncle was safely out of sight lily pulled the necklace off, she didn't want anything from her parents, "Here Bel, you wear it for a little while, I'll be helping Uncle so I don't want it to get damaged. Can you look after it for me?" Lily knelt down and fastened the necklace around Annabel's neck; she stopped, the necklace seemed eerily familiar. Lily gently traced the hieroglyphs on the pectoral; her parents had taught her how to read hieratic when she was seven, she'd never gotten the hang of speaking it though. "Kiya; great Royal wi-" the last hieroglyph was indecipherable. "Kiya..." Lily rubbed her temples where a headache was rapidly forming. The line between her dreams and reality was swiftly becoming blurred.

"Right Bel why don't you get your wellies on and we'll go see the baby cows?" Annabel squealed with excitement and ran off.

Lily slowly wandered in the direction of her uncle's study. She paused with her hand on the doorknob; she could hear voices. Three male voices, she recognised one as her uncle but the other two were unfamiliar and threatening; she pressed closer eavesdropping shamelessly.

"Tell us where the portal key is!" the first voice was oily and made Lily's skin crawl.

"We'd hate for things to get...physical but needs must as the saying goes." The second voice was old and sounded dusty somehow like how Lily imagined mummy movie stars should sound like.

"I don't know who you are or how you got in here, but I want you out of my house right now!" Uncle Henry sounded cold and angry and not at all like himself.

"I'd hate to have to hurt anyone...the little one for instance; so young and tender..." the oily voice let the sentence hang obscenely.

"Get out right now! I have no key, and I'm calling the police!"

Lily heard four pops; she'd seen enough action thrillers to know what a silenced gun sounded like. "No." she whispered mind filled with images of her uncle riddled with bullet holes.

"You fool! He's no good to us dead!" the dusty voice was harsh and furious, "Come on, let's grab the girl and get out of here."

Lily froze as she heard two sets of footsteps coming towards the study door, she couldn't let them find her, but where could she go? The doorknob twisted under her hand and she froze.

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AN: sorry about the random chapter but it all comes together soon; I promise! Anyhoo read and review or not...it's up to you!


	4. An Apology

Hello to all of you lovely people; I just wanted to reassure you all that I am still alive! (barely).

The story will continue, unfortunately I've been in a couple nasty accidents (the last one involved a car, my head and 3 weeks of amnesia) and have only just been able to get back to work and be able to use the computer.

So hopefully in the downtimes between hospital appointments I'll be able to write an update for you :)

Much love to you all

BB


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- I don't own anything apart from the plot and my OC's (Kiya, Nefer, Tal, Aten and now Lily and co.). Wish I owned my very own fuzzy Sphinx though... :D

AN: Hello to everyone who has been awaiting the next instalment of the bookie; unfortunately (as stated in the placeholder chappie) I have had a run of bad luck for the past few months… first I had writers block!! Then it got worse… I got a dog (that's not the bad thing) and at one of our agility classes (he's a greyhound very, very fast!) trying to keep up with him I slipped, fell and bruised my vertebra, leading to an inflammation of the Spinal cord… much fun there. Then in October when I'm up and about and hale and hearty, the dog slips his collar and runs unto the road, I chase him like the muppet I am and end up hitting the car that stopped to not hit the dog… 3 weeks of amnesia and cooking without lighting the gas I'm finally able to sit up and look at a computer screen without being sick! Yay me.

So this chapter goes out to all you poor Sphinx-starved readers. I love you all!

BB

Oh yes a warning, if you don't like blood or cursing skip this chapter!

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Chapter 4

Lily backed away as the door handle began to turn. Frantically she looked up and down the corridor looking for somewhere to hide. All she could see was a medieval suit of armour and a gilded Egyptian chest. Without thinking Lily dived into the chest and closed the lid; leaving just enough of a gap to see out of.

The study door swung open and two men walked out. One was old, stooped and hunched over, holding onto a large ebony staff topped with a red-eyed cobra. Lily shivered; it seemed as though the serpent was looking right at her. The other figure was tall and dark-haired, dressed in an old-fashioned shirt and waistcoat; he looked like something out of a trashy regency romance.

Lily has to stifle a gasp as she saw blood; her Uncle's blood spattered up a snow-white sleeve. The younger man was tucking a pistol back into a shoulder holster and half-heartedly listening to his companion's ranting.

"You impetuous fool! The Master will be most annoyed that you killed the Keeper of the Amulet!" the old man gesticulated wildly with his sake staff; Lily half thought that it might decide to bite the younger man.

The younger man shrugged, "Well he didn't have the stupid carving anyway. Besides you promised me fun," he paused, sapphire blue eyes glittering, "I suppose we could grab the two girls. The Master likes them young and the blonde looks like a delicious handful." He cast a sly glance at his companion, "Makes me nostalgic for the old London…"

"Silence Jack! The Master did not bring you back so you could indulge in your unsavoury hobbies; now help me find the whelps. Our spies say they often helped the Keeper with his works."

Jack sighed with an air of being much put upon, "Yes Achmeni,"

As the old man hobbled away Jack picked up a black silk top hat, settled it on his head, pulled a black greatcoat off of the coat stand by the study door and strode off after his companion; whistling jauntily.

Lily crouched in the dark, stuffy chest, waiting for the killers to leave; her thoughts racing in a panicked mess, _"oh my god what am I going to do?! They killed Uncle Henry! They want to do something awful to me and Bel. Oh my god, Bel! Where is she? A phone! There's a phone in the office I can call for help!"_

Panting in fear Lily pushed up the lid of the chest wincing at the seemingly deafening creak of the old leather hinges.

When no black caped assassin came sweeping down the corridor like some angel of death Lily scurried across the hall to her Uncle's study. The scene inside was shocking, papers were strewn over the desk and floor, the green-shaded desk lamp had been knocked over and cast frighteningly distorted shadows across the walls. A packing crate lay on its side, straw spilling out onto the carpet.

Lily took a few steps into the room, hesitant to walk around the large desk; afraid of what she might see.

A sighing groan made up her mind for her. She hurried past the broken statues and debris, "Uncle Henry!" Lily gasped and dropped to her knees beside her beloved uncle. There were four large blood stains soaking through his shirt

"Lily…Lily listen…not much time…"

Lily took hold of one cold hand and held it to her cheek, "Ssh Uncle, don't talk, I'll get help. You'll be fine."

Uncle Henry, usually so hearty and full of life coughed weakly, "Lily, those men were after something…amulet in the crate…keep it from them…all costs…"

Lily nodded and searched through the straw until her questing fingers found a small statuette. She clutched it to her chest and crawled back to her uncle, tears streaming down her face."

"Lily…"

Lily leaned closer, "You'll be fine, I'll call an ambulance and the police and, and the army! You'll be fine and they'll get those…creatures." Lily picked up the receiver of the phone and pushed the nine on the keypad, nothing. No dial tone, no static. Lily yanked on the cable and the end came free; it had been cut. There was no way to call for help. Lily bit back a very unladylike curse.

"Lily…I need to tell you something. I love you like a daughter…your parents love you too…but please…please take care of Bel for me…"

Tears coursed down Lily's face, "Don't say anything Uncle Henry. You can tell her you love her tonight over dinner. W-we have p-pancakes just the way you like them!"

"Hug Bell for me Lily…promise me"

"I-I promise Uncle Henry."

"Don't…cry…" Uncle Henry smiled and closed his eyes. Lily clutched his hand and wept.

000

Once the initial shock had passes Lily wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her jumper. Leaving Uncle Henry behind she tiptoed to the door, "Well the coast _seems_ clear." Lily crept to the end of the corridor. She began to move faster as she searched for her cousin.

Lily turned a corner and shrieked as she ran into something hard and unyielding. Lily found herself grabbed by unforgiving hands; she looked up in horror.

"What do we have here?" The one called Jack leered down at Lily who struggled to get loose. "Ah the little Dove flutters her wings in vain. You'll not get away from jack my sweet Wren, no one does."

He tightened his grip on her arms and bent to whisper in her ear, "We shall have fun while we wait for the Master, no?"

Lily flinched away from his insinuations, "No! Let me go you dirty bastard!"

Jack chuckled and backed Lily up against the wall, "I like it when they are feisty." He reached up to stroke Lily's wheat-gold hair away from her face. Lily trembled, frozen with fear. "Such pretty green eyes my Linnet has."

As Jack tipped back the brim of his top hat he smiled nastily, "Perhaps the Master will let me have your little cousin when he has finished with her. You would make a fine pair for Jack's pleasure."

Whether it was his unspeakable suggestion or the sight of her beloved uncle's blood Lily found she had control of her body again

"You sick bastard!" Lily did the only thing she could think of; she drove her kne up as hard as she could into Jack's crotch.

He grunted and his grip on Lily loosened enough for her to pull out of his grasp. Lily turned and ran as fast as she could, unconsciously drawn to the cellar storage area.

She stumbled down the stairs, unsure if the pounding in her ears was just her heartbeat or the footsteps of the killers. Lily made her way through the darkness, weaving through the dust sheet covered statuary, "Please let Bel be okay. Please let her be in the fields." Lily looked down at the tiny statuette, "How can something so small cause so much trouble?"

Suddenly the lights flickered on; Lily jumped and crouched behind a statue of the Ram-headed god Amun.

"Little girl," it was the old mummy man's voice, "I know you have what I want; it calls to me. I also have something that you want." Lily peeked around Amun's legs; the wizened old man was standing at the top of the stairs, one bony hand resting on Bel's shoulder. "Give me the Key and you may have your cousin back."

"L-lily? Are we playing Hide and Seek? The funny man in the silly hat says we are and that Papi's gone on a trip." Bel's lower lip stuck out in a pout, "Lily I don't wanna play; I wanna see Papi!"

lily risked another peek, Jack was now walking down the cellar steps, "My Swan, there is no point in hiding, we know where you are."

Lily began to creep away from the area by the stairs, towards the new arrivals which hadn't yet been unpacked.

"How am I going to do this? I don't have any key; for God's sake I'm just a kid!" she knelt between the paws of a sphinx as she heard Jack come ever closer to her hiding place, "Please someone help me!"

The Portal God statue she sheltered beneath heard her plea; sensing the offering Lily held he opened his mouth and roared; a brilliant white light flooded the room.

"Annabel!!" Lily yelled as the light engulfed her. The last thing that she saw was the black-caped Jack lunging toward her.

000

"Goddamit!" Bel looked up as Jack swore.

"Mr Jack that's a bad word! I'm gonna tell Lily!"

Jack looked down at Bel, "I apologise Little One." He took her hand and began to lead her back into the house, "But please do not tell your cousin, she is fearsome!"

Bel giggled, "Mr Jack you're silly. Is this part of the game? Are we going to wait for Lily at your house now?"

"For a while yes Little One."

Achmeni hobbled along behind; Lily's necklace clutched in one withered hand. Although the Master would be deeply upset that they had lost the key perhaps the gift of the mortal's treasures would be enough to temper his rage.

* * *

AN: Well there, that wasn't too bad now was it? ;)

In the next chapter we return to where we left poor Kiya, fleeing for her life through the backstreets of Ancient Thebes! What will happen to Lily? Why is Jack being nice to little Annabel? Who is the Master?? Stay tuned for answers to some of these questions!! As always reviews are love and reviewers will have a chicken dinner sacrificed to their good health! Go on review, you know you want to!!


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